Traditional Wedding Held at West Lake Attracts Attention

A couple recently held a traditional wedding near West Lake in Hangzhou, capital city of east China’s Zhejiang Province, attracting the public’s attention.

According to a wedding planner employed by Hanyifang, a wedding planning company that specializes in organizing weddings following the rituals of China’s Han Dynasty (206 BC – AD 220) or Tang Dynasty (618-907), the company suggested that the couple hold an outdoor wedding ceremony as the weather is getting warmer. The beautiful nature scene will add romance to the event.

An increasing number of young Chinese couples are opting for a genuine traditional Chinese wedding ceremony, other than the less authentic ones during which they usually dress up in traditional Chinese opera costumes.

It is the rituals that truly set these wedding ceremonies apart. For a traditional Han wedding, the couple usually enters the ceremonial hall side by side and the master of ceremonies is usually a well-respected elderly relative. The couple’s vows are usually taken from Chinese literary classics.

Some of the other traditional wedding ceremony customs include a wedding procession from the bride’s home to the groom’s home, where another set of ceremonies is conducted to welcome the bride into the groom’s home.

Some wedding ceremonies follow Han Dynasty rituals strictly, with all guests sitting down on their knees, creating an air of majestic, divine nobility.

In a ceremony equivalent to the exchanging of vows, the couple then pays respect to the Jade Emperor, the family deities, deceased ancestors, parents and other elderly relatives, and each other.

In Chinese society, the wedding banquet is known as xijiu (joyful wine), and is sometimes far more important than the actual wedding itself. There are also ceremonies involved, such as the bride presenting wine or tea to parents and guests.

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